Stuck In The Middle With You
by My-Crimson-Tears
Summary: Sai, the new guy gets put on Team 7 and soon finds himself falling for the female member. But how can he have her when there’s one person standing in his way, Sasuke? And what’s this about a new head teacher and her trying to close the academy?
1. A Boring Start

**Well hi there, I'm back and with a new story, I really should stop starting new stories and focus on my other ones lol, but oh well, I cant be helped :D**

**Summary: Sai, the new guy gets put on Team 7 and soon finds himself falling for the female member. But how can he have her when there's one person standing in his way, Sasuke? And what's this about a new head teacher and her trying to close the academy?**

**Chapter 1: A Boring Start**

She quickened her pace and came to halt in front of a door, pushed a paper through the letterbox and hopped on her bike again

'_I'm gonna be late again'_ she thought to herself

Pink hair. Green eyes. A slim, curvy body. And a killer attitude to add. This was Haruno Sakura. 16 years of age with a lot of potential. She was very bright, but didn't take a popular interest in her school life except for the ninja training.

Mainly because the rest was boring, she was acing all her classes, but loathed the lessons with a passion.

Being unsuccessful in finding a proper job before Christmas, her friend Ten-Ten, had recommended she try a paper round for a while. Sakura took her advice and here she was now, 7:40am riding round with a bagful of papers slung over her shoulder.

He watched her from his window every morning. He saw her ride up to his door, post his newspaper and leave again.

Drawing his eyes away from his window, he walked over to his mirror and checked his appearance.

Short black hair, black eyes, a long sleeved blue t-shirt with black jeans.

He was new in the neighbourhood and was starting his new school today, was he nervous? He couldn't be sure, but he knew deep down, if he saw that girl again, it'd be all worth it.

Grabbing his nearly empty bag, he made his way out the door and towards his new school

Her feet padded quickly past the school hall, she knew she was late for assembly so made her way to the cafeteria where she would wait until it was time for first lesson.

Unfortunately, a teacher caught sight of her pink hair and personally escorted her to the hall. Sakura sighed deeply before agreeing.

Upon entering the hall, all eyes were set upon her, which she shrugged off and took her seat. Glancing around, Sakura noticed a stranger to the school.

Adult, shirt, fat, female, snob looking. This was not going to go well, also considering the fact she was staring straight at Sakura.

Snorting, Sakura turned up her nose and closed her eyes

"it seems Miss. Haruno finds our lecture on school behaviour boring"

There was a "she's not the only one" that came from another student but people were oblivious

Sakura's eyes cracked open and stared at the stranger, anger already fuming

"Miss. Haruno, please stand"

Sakura groaned and stood, putting her hand son her hips

"please come to the front"

Nudging her chair out of her way, Sakura walked towards the fat lady, glaring at her all the way.

"well?"

"well what?" asked Sakura

"what do you have to say?"

There was a slight pause before she answered

"who are you?"

The hall was filled with discreet giggling (if that's possible lol)

"well if you were here on time, you would know who I was"

"life goes on"

Obviously annoyed by Sakura's attitude, the lady shuffled round her, almost analysing her

"I…am Dr. Sue Demont, your school's new head teacher"

"that's nice" yawned Sakura

Sakura could tell the new teacher was getting angry with her. Shuffling back to the front of the hall, Demont addressed the entire year

"this is an example of what I don't want from the rest of you. Anyone who is rude or disobedient shall be severely punished"

'_what is this? Hell?'_ ran through Sakura's mind

"and you Miss. Haruno…"

Sakura raised an eyebrow to show she was half listening

"I shall let you off with a warning this time. don't let it happen again"

Sakura nodded glumly and praised Kami the bell went just seconds after.

Monday's weren't so bad for Sakura. On Monday's she had ninja training all day. Yes, this was partly a ninja academy, and Sakura was in her final year thank Kami.

As she made her way to the classroom, she remembered their teacher - Iruka, was finally going to put them in teams for the rest of the year

Just as she entered, she caught sight of a black haired boy, waved and walked over to him, where she sat down

"no 'morning' then?"

"morning Sasuke-kun" she growled

Sasuke smirked "nice performance earlier by the way, you really had her ticked. I don't like her either"

Sakura nodded solemnly "she's a bitch"

"HEY! HEY SAKURA-CHAN!" came a very loud voice

Sasuke and Sakura both turned to each other "Naruto…" they both grumbled as a hyper active blonde came running into the class

"what Naruto?" asked Sakura rubbing her forehead

"there's a new kid in our ninja class!"

Both Sasuke and Sakura looked up at him

"who?" they both asked

"no clue. Ino told me"

"well there's a surprise"

"what was that forehead?"

"nothing Ino-Pig"

The girl smirked at each other

"so Ino, who's this new guy?"

"not sure, I saw him as I came into school. In fact…he looks exactly like Sasuke-kun"

"is that so…" he groaned

Just as the rest of the class came in, Iruka also joined the room and took his place at the front

"good morning all. As you know, today you shall be evaluated on your skills and if you pass, put into teams"

"so Ino" Sakura whispered behind her "where's this new kid huh?"

Ino just huffed, but her eyes suddenly lit up "there he is!"

Sakura whipped her head round so fast she was sure she almost gave herself whiplash, but her jaw hit the desk instead

The new kid really did look a lot like Sasuke; and by the looks of said boy, he wasn't too happy about it. He talked with Iruka a bit before turning to face the class; and that's when he saw her. The girl with pink hair.

'_he looks almost…..emotionless'_ thought Sakura

"class, this is Sai. He will be with us for the rest of the year. All of you please make him feel welcome. Why don't you take a seat next to Sakura" informed Iruka pointing to the pinkette

Sakura gulped '_now I have 2 hotties sitting next to me' _referring to Sasuke as the other

As Sai sat down, Sakura noticed the amount of scrolls and brushed he had on him

"so, you like to paint huh?" she asked politely

'_since when am I polite?'_ she asked herself

Sai merely nodded

"with the exception of Sai, you shall all now be evaluated"

Half the class groaned at Iruka's statement

"now line up alphabetically please"

"if I could, may I observe and take the test tomorrow?" spoke Sai

"if you feel confident enough, I don't see why not" smiled Iruka

Sai nodded and sat back to watch

"Shino Abrame"

A hooded figure stepped forward, holding out his hands in the process. There was silence as everyone waited. Until the various sounds of bugs could be seen and heard coming towards them

"PASS!"

"Choji Akamichi"

A rather short, chubby boy stepped forward with a bag of crisps in hand. Putting the packet in his pocket, Choji clasped his hands together and flicked his eyes open

"Multi-Size Technique!"

He stretched his arm forward, which also grew tenfold and picked Iruka up

"PASS!"

"Sakura Haruno"

Sai paid extra attention to what this girl was about to do, he didn't know why, he just felt like she was going to surprise him. And she sure did. Closing her jade eyes and putting her hands together, the wind suddenly picked up in the classroom, whipping her hair around vigorously. Suddenly the sound of metal and wood could be heard. It all went so fast to everyone else, but to Sakura, it all happened in slow motion.

What everyone saw was a flash of pink, then the next, the kanji for 'blossom' was imprinted on the board in shuriken.

But to Sakura, she drew out an amount of shuriken, quickly transforming them into small cherry blossoms, then fired them in her desired direction.

"PASS! Is there a name?"

"no name yet"

"very well, NEXT!"

The next ones to pass were Hinata & Neji Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzaka, Rock Lee, Shikamaru Nara and Ten-Ten.

"Sasuke Uchiha"

The raven haired teen stepped forward, not wasting any time to perform the perfect hand seals

"Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu"

Then he held one hand to his mouth as he shot out a fireball, which barley missed Iruka

He gulped "PASS!"

"Naruto Uzumaki"

The blonde stepped forward confidently, grinning like a Cheshire cat. Everyone knew what he was going to do so they all backed up. Sai catching on, did the same

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu"

Soon enough, there was about 100 Naruto's in the class, squashing everyone together tightly

"alright, alright you pass. Now release it!"

"hai!"

The Naruto's disappeared, leaving only the original in their place

"finally, Ino Yamanaka"

Said girl stepped forward. Her long blonde hair waving behind her, she abruptly stopped and faced Iruka

"Mind Switch Technique!"

Ino's body suddenly went limp, but Shikamaru caught her before she could fall. they all then turned towards Iruka who looked…odd? Suddenly he yelled

"I LOVE shopping and painting my nails, and you can all go home after I put you in teams"

Then he stood still as Ino woke up and smirked

"I guess you pass for such a sneaky technique"

They all returned to their desks smiling, they had all passed and now it was the moment they had all been waiting for.

"in Team 8: Hinata, Kiba and Shino"

"in Team 6: Ten-Ten, Neji and Lee"

"in Team 9: Ino, Choji and Shikamaru"

"and finally in Team 7: Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto"

"I guess you are all now dismissed. You are to train with your team in the free time that you have"

Everyone piled out of the classroom, probably all heading for the park, except for Sai, which Sakura noticed

"um…Sai?"

He looked up at her

'_damn this stupid shyness'_ she thought "you wanna grab some lunch?"

"what an excellent idea Sakura! Why don't you be Sai's guide and show him around?" asked a very smug looking Iruka

Sakura nodded and soon after, Sai stood and followed

As they were walking through the streets of Konoha, Sai randomly asked

"how did you manage to do that thing with the shuriken so well?"

Sakura giggled " a hell of a lot of practice. It's why I was late actually"

"but you were doing a paper round?"

"I was up all night practicing so I overslept…. How did you know I had a paper round?"

"I saw you this morning"

"oh…you must be the new person on my round then…you lazy ass" she laughed

"why do you practice so hard?"

"I have to. I guess it doesn't help my dad wasn't a ninja"

"what about you-"

"dead. But she wasn't a ninja either"

"so it skipped a generation?"

Sakura nodded

"…I'm sorry"

Sakura looked surprised at him, but soon her eyes softened

"that's okay, c'mon let's go eat!"

"okay hag"

She stopped dead in her tracks

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!"

Seconds later, she was chasing him down the road threatening to kill him.

Meanwhile, the remainder of Team 7 were watching in amusement from the rooftops

"think we should help him? Sakura looks **really **peeved" asked Naruto

Sasuke put both hand behind his head and closed his eyes "naaaaaaaaaaaah"

**Well that's the end and the longest chapter I've done in quite a while lol hope you all enjoyed and get those reviews in tehe**

**Love you all xxxx**


	2. Rivalry

I am loving the positive response for the story and I love all my reviewers dearly, anyways, here is the long awaited chapter tehe

Chapter 2: Rivalry

"You're very skilled"

Sakura panted as she laid her head on the table of the Ramen Bar

"And you're a pain in the ass"

After Sai had insulted her, Sakura had chased him ALL OVER Konoha. She definitely had her exercise for today.

Sai smiled at her, only to receive a rather hard flick to the forehead. He looked at her questionably

"Don't use that _fake_ smile on me" she said bluntly

'_This girl sure is something else...'_ he thought staring at her

"Sakura?"

"hm?"

"How did your-"

"SAKURA-CHAN!"

"Hey Naruto, Sasuke" she smiled

"You must've read my mind, I finally convinced Sasuke to try some Ramen"

"And you gave in?" she asked Sasuke

He merely shrugged while she giggled slightly

"So he's Sai huh?"

"Yes, now if you don't mind, we were having a conversation" remarked Sakura

"It's okay. It can wait"

"Well I'm Naruto, and this is Sasuke-teme"

"Dobe"

"Sakura, we have to go train"

"What about-?"

"He's not on our team" growled Naruto

Sakura glanced at Sai, he nodded and she smiled back at him

"Good luck with your exam tomorrow"

Again Sai nodded and waved them off.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Naruto what is your problem?" asked Sakura dodging a kunai from said person

"I don't have a problem"

"Yes you do"

"With what?"

"Sai"

Naruto threw a shuriken and scoffed "what if I do? What do you care?"

Sakura stopped for a brief second "...I don't"

"Yeah right. So why'd you offer to take him to lunch?"

"I didn't. Iruka volunteered me"

Sasuke stood against a tree watching the two; he thought it was best not to get involved. He could clearly see Naruto was pushing her buttons.

"You're never that polite. To me **or** Sasuke"

"I've known you too long to be polite anymore" she smirked

She fell back but swung on a tree branch and pulled herself back up to her feet. While doing so, Naruto landed on the opposite tree

"Point made"

A smug look appeared on Sakura's face

"What?" asked Naruto confused

He looked to Sasuke, who was also smirking

"WHAT?!" he demanded

He was then pushed from the tree and felt something land on his back

"Your distracted way too easily" cooed Sakura giggling

"Gah, your clones are too fast" he groaned rolling over so he was on his back and Sakura was on his stomach

She bent down to his ear and whispered "who said I was a clone?"

Naruto gulped at the proximity of their bodies

"Uh...Sa-Sakura why-"

"Relax Naruto, I'm over here"

Naruto turned his head to see the real Sakura leaning on Sasuke's back

'_Thank Kami! I thought I was in trouble then'_ he thought as the clone atop him disappeared

Only then did he realise he had a little _**'problem'**_. Covering his hands over his groin, he quickly jumped up and turned away

"Uhh...I gotta go, see you tomorrow" he yelled before running off

Sakura laughed hard and loud, she just loved to tease him

"He really likes you" said Sasuke turning his head to her

"Too bad he doesn't realise Hinata is head over heels for him, that girl would do anything for him" she sighed relaxing against him more

"Well **make** him realise"

"Why's that?"

Sakura let out a gasp as Sasuke pushed her up against the tree behind them, his leg sliding between hers

He leant in close to her ear before saying "so he knows that you belong to me..._**only**_"

He then bent down to nibble her neck, but she managed to push him away slightly

"My shirt doesn't cover that part of my neck"

Sasuke smirked; she just couldn't resist his touch

"How about somewhere else then?" he purred

"And where did you have in mind" she growled grabbing his shirt and pulling him closer

Sakura let out a groan as his index finger trailed down her spine to along her hips "here"

"Maybe later...and when we're not in open view"

Sasuke frowned

Sakura smirked and kissed him forcefully on the lips "I promise" she winked

She then began walking the way back to her house, where she climbed up to the roof and stayed there till nightfall, when she finally went inside

She was so caught up in her thoughts, she failed to notice her new acquired friend watch her closely from his room a few streets away

**Man I know that was short, but it's something right? I am trying to update regularly, but with my exams a month away, it's becoming harder and harder, but I WILL try :D lol**

**You know the drill; reviews are loved and get my motivation going lol**

**x.x.x**


	3. Uh Oh

**Heya again, another update from me again and guess what, it's early morning again and I'm hyper off sour skittles lol but hey I'm bored and need something to do hehe**

**Thank you to all those who reviewed the previous chapters, and I hope you enjoy this one**

**Chapter 3: Uh Oh**

Sakura dragged herself out of bed the next morning, it took all of her will power to get up and not go back to sleep. It had been another last night; she had been up most of the night thinking about her mom.

The bitterness of the cold wind didn't even seem to wake her as she rode from door to door, shoving papers through the letterboxes.

Once again, Sai managed to catch her as she reached his house. He saw the bags under her eyes and the dead look on her face. A new feeling began to flow through him, something completely new. Was he worried about her? No. He didn't feel such emotions. But as he watched her tired body slowly ride away, the same feeling returned; only stronger.

Attempting to forget about it, he went downstairs to read the just delivered paper. As he picked up said paper, he noticed a small piece of paper flutter down. Curious, Sai picked it up and examined it. He saw small handwriting on the underside, so he turned it over and read it

_Good luck with your exam_

_Sakura xxx_

A slight smile tugged at the nins lips; and he took the paper up to his room where he placed it atop the book he had drawn for his brother.

--

"Sakura, you okay?"

Said girl looked up slowly to meet the dark eyes of the youngest Uchiha

After a while, she replied "I'm fine, just had a late night"

"You're mom again?"

"Yeah"

Sitting down, Sasuke pulled the girl into his arms and stroked her hair, hoping to sooth her.

"Sleep now, you can train later"

Sakura didn't need telling twice. The second she closed her eyes she was off in dreamland.

"Hey teme, what's wrong with Sakura-Chan?" came the blonde's voice

"She's tired, she fell asleep" he answered bluntly

"Her mom?"

Sasuke nodded

Naruto also knew of Sakura's feelings towards the death of her mom, so he nodded and agreed to train with Sasuke one-on-one while Sakura slept peacefully in the warm sun.

Funny thing was; neither Sasuke nor Naruto actually knew Sakura's moms cause of death.

--

"Very impressive Sai, you pass with flying colours" exclaimed Iruka

Sai merely nodded in return

"Now, what team to put you in..." he pondered

Sai briefly heard the words "Sakura" and "Seven" he knew the answer

Iruka turned back to him "I'll put you in Team 7, see how you get on with them"

He thanked Iruka and disappeared to Team 7's training grounds.

--

Sakura stirred quietly as she finally woke. As her eyelids lifted, she caught a glimpse of Sasuke and Naruto cease their training and face Sai who was walking towards them.

"What are you doing here?" growled Naruto

"Iruka assigned me to your team"

"NANI!!"

"Dobe, shut up"

"B-but Sasuke-"

"I said shut up!"

Sasuke glared at Naruto, who backed down immediately to shrink into a corner. He then turned back to Sai.

"So, what's your skill?"

"Art"

He raised an eyebrow at the answer he was given

"Okay I don't see how that will help. Let's see what you can do then"

The two attacked each other mercilessly, striking whenever they saw an opening. However, Sai didn't give any.

'_I've had enough of this, time to end it'_ Sasuke thought as he drew back to perform hand seals, but he stopped as Sai drew out a parchment and brush

"Will this help?" he heard him ask

His hand holding the brush suddenly moved incredibly fast, he then put his hands together and a huge amount of smoke surrounded him.

Sasuke edged further away, kunai in hand and sharingan activated, just to be safe.

As the smoke disappeared, Sakura's jaw dropped as the beast stood before her and the other two. Naruto's eyes had popped out of his head as he stared at the ink drawn creature. And even though he didn't look it, Sakura knew deep down, Sasuke was shitting himself.

Taking control of his body again, Sasuke finished his hand seals

"Katon! Housenka No Jutsu!"

Flames danced from Sasuke's mouth towards Sai and his tiger like monster. Raising his hand, the creature jumped forward from his position above Sai and opened his mouth wide.

Sweat formed on Sasuke's forehead as he witnessed his flames being gobbled up as if it were nothing.

Finding the energy, Sakura ran over to Sai and gave him a quick hug

"That was amazing! Did you use that in the exam?" she asked jumping up and down

Sai nodded and leant in close to her ear "Thank you for the note"

A blush crept across the pinkette's cheeks as he leaned back slightly. As she tried to hide her face she saw the creature shrink to an average size and climb back into the scroll Sai was holding.

"That really is incredible. How do you do that?"

Sai smirked "It's a secret"

Sasuke watched from afar, he could clearly see how Sakura was acting and it made his blood boil. But then it occurred to him, she was just being herself, nice; well when she wanted to be and Sasuke cooled down.

'_Guess I don't have to worry about her then'_ he thought as he jumped down from the tree

"Well, I guess your okay...but I'm still the best-huh? What the fuck?!"

While Naruto was gloating, he failed to notice a long, think snake make its way up and around his body. That was until it squeezed him, then he noticed.

"Get this thing off me!" he roared

Sai watched in amusement as Sakura made her way over to the bound ninja.

"You won't be able to break it" he smirked

Sakura grinned coolly at him before tugging at the snake. Sai's insides dropped as the ink snake broke and splattered over the ground.

She turned back to him "You were saying?"

"How did you do that?"

She winked at him "It's a secret"

"Can we go eat now?" came Naruto's voice

The other three simply stared at him

"What? Fighting Sasuke made me hungry"

"I'm kind of hungry too. I skipped breakfast" mumbled Sakura

"Guess we're having ramen _**again**_"

Sai turned to look at the frowning Uchiha, then to the grinning blonde and pinkette who were discussing what kind of ramen they were going to have today.

"C'mon then" smiled Sakura leading the way with Naruto

Sai and Sasuke just looked at each other and shrugged, then turned to follow.

At the ramen bar, Naruto had ordered his regular 'everything' dish. Sakura had a normal chicken ramen, Sasuke ordered a beef ramen; and Sakura had managed to convince Sai to try chicken too.

--A few minutes ago--

"_I've never had ramen before" he mumbled before they went in_

"_NANI!? What is wrong with you?" screeched Naruto_

"_Shush" groaned Sasuke_

"_C'mon Sai, you gotta try the chicken, it's the best!" gleamed Sakura_

_Sai nodded and walked in after them_

--

Now the artist nin was staring at the steaming bowl of soup

"Sai, are you okay?"

Sai turned to look at the pinkette, worry written all over her face

"I'm fine"

"Well eat up then"

Sai's heart skipped a beat as Sakura put her chopsticks into his bowl, picked up a piece of chicken and placed it into his mouth.

Sasuke caught her small gesture from the corner of his eye and watched carefully

'_Looks like I'm gonna have to keep an eye on you after all...'_

--

After their meal, they each bid each other goodbye and went their separate ways, Sakura making her way towards the library.

She stopped as she felt a presence behind her

"Come outta there"

A rustle came from a tree and Sai jumped down. Sakura took note of how his stomach muscles flexed as he stood. Blushing from her sudden thoughts, she turned her head slightly.

"What're you doing here?"

"Library"

"What for?"

"Art scroll"

"Okay, I'm going to the library too"

Sai nodded and walked along side her

"What're you going for?"

"Studying"

"Aren't you smart enough?"

Sakura giggled "I'll take that as a compliment"

The rest of the journey was in silence, until they reached the great gates of the Konoha Library

"Where's the art section?" squeaked Sakura

Sai looked at the map on the wall "The north part of the library"

'_But I'm in the south section...'_

"Oh okay, I'll see you later then"

Also nodding, they both went to the opposite sides of the library. As Sakura walked deeper, the halls became darker.

Grabbing a lit lantern, she continued her way.

Finally there, she started pulling books out to read. Hours passed and Sakura remained in her seat. After a few more hours passed, Sakura finally decided she had had enough for one day. Piling all the books up again, she made her way unsteadily back to the shelved.

'_Gah, these are SO heavy'_ she thought as she tried to adjust the books' positions in her arms.

One moment Sakura felt herself lose her balance and begin to fall, the next she felt a strong pair of arms embrace her form and shield her from the falling books.

Sakura opened her large emerald eyes to meet dark onyx ones

'_Sasuke...?'_

But then realised it was the other black eyed nin

"S-Sai? What are you doing here?" she stammered

"Nothing"

They both then realised how close their faces were to each other. Sakura could hear her heart pounding in her head. She could taste her breath mingling with his, their eyes never leaving each others.

Subconsciously her eyelids began to droop and her head moved forward until her lips claimed his.

Sai, new to this contact, froze and didn't move. He was standing there in the library, stuck to the spot with his new teammate kissing him. He had no idea what to do in this kind of situation, heck this was the first time he had ever been kissed.

Sai then felt Sakura moved against his lips and a low "move"

He stared at her in question, even though she couldn't see him; she knew he still didn't have a clue, so she decided to show him.

Biting down on his lip slightly, Sai gasped as the sudden feeling, allowing Sakura to slip her tongue into his mouth. She licked along the side of his tongue and felt him shiver. Smirking, she managed to coax his tongue into a war with hers. Sai was a little sloppy, but Sakura didn't care, she was too lost in the moment.

Just as Sai began to close his eyes, a book dropped onto the floor, jerking them apart.

As Sakura realised what had happened, her eyes went wide and her face turned crimson.

"I'm sorry, I gotta go" she hurried and ran straight past him

Sai could clearly see the tears in her eyes and knew this whole thing had been a mere accident.

'_Stupid hormones'_ he cursed as he began picking up the fallen books.

Once he was done, he took out a scroll from his bag and looked at it. It was a sketch of Sakura when she was studying; he had been sitting on one of the shelves above her.

She looked so beautiful in the candle light, even Sai could say this picture was flawless; he had captured her _perfectly_.

But something still tugged at his heart; he had felt something as their lips had touched. He couldn't pin point why Sakura would suddenly kiss him then run away like that

'_Is it because I look like...him?'_

--

Sakura continued to run until the Uchiha compound came within eyesight, and then her pace slowed as she caught her breath. She walked up to the door and knocked, a few moments later it opened

"Sakura?"

"Hi Sasuke, can I come in?"

"Yeah sure"

Sakura nodded a thanks and followed him in

"Do you mind if I make something?" she asked as they entered the kitchen

"It's 11:30"

But Sakura gave him a pleading look and he gave in

"Fine, I'll be in the living room"

With that, Sasuke turned and made his way to the sofa.

Sakura looked around the kitchen, trying to come up with something she and Sasuke would like.

"Raspberries?"

But that just took her mind back to Sai _'His mouth tasted so sweet...'_

"Mmm, chocolate pancakes?"

'_Oh how I'd love to see Sai covered in chocolate'_

Sakura stared in disbelief at her own thoughts and hung her head

"I need a new hobby"

--

Sai stared out at the night sky from his window; it was a clear night unlike his mind right now.

He couldn't get that little scene of him and Sakura out of his mind. She had kissed him out of a daze from the dust of the fallen books, thinking he was the Uchiha.

That's what hurt the most, being kissed for being mistaken for someone else. But then, she must've known it wasn't Sasuke by his hesitation. That was the first time he had kissed someone; and it was a disaster; and he was sure it wasn't Sakura's first.

"Fuck..."

Finally, Sai put his head on the pillow and fell asleep.

--

Over at the Uchiha compound, no one was asleep yet. Sakura had cooked her chocolate pancakes; and much to her dislike, Sasuke had told her to put raspberries on them. This only added to her discomfort of her little run in with Sai at the library.

They both finished their pancakes, but Sasuke took his time with his raspberries. Slowly dipping them into his mouth, licking off the chocolate sauce; before finally eating them.

Sakura tried to hide her blush and averted her gaze. Sasuke smirked ad crawled over to her and leant into her ear

"If you're going to keep me up, I expect it to be for a good reason"

Her blush reddened as she knew what he meant. Feeling Sasuke's hand running up her thigh, she instinctively opened them slightly and grinded against his hand

"I'm not sure who wants it more" he chuckled

Sakura moaned out load as she felt him move behind and slip her shirt over her head. She arched her back as his hands found their way to her plump breasts as he nipped at her neck.

"You're so beautiful" he whispered into her ear as he trailed his tongue to her collar bones

Sakura shivered and felt a sudden wave of dizziness come over her

"Sasuke...I'm tired..."

She then fell asleep half naked on his chest. Sasuke smiled down on her sleeping form, slipping a blanket over them both in the process. He then got comfortable and kissed her head

"I love you"

--

The suns hot rays beat down on the cherry blossoms face, making her stir from her sleep. Opening her eyes, they immediately fell upon the clock

"7:45 am..." and her eyes fluttered shut again

Taking it in slowly, Sakura finally processed what she had just said. Her eyes shot open as she stood and grabbed the clock, the blanket falling from her and her breasts bouncing free as it did so, but she failed to realise it.

"What do you mean its 7 fucking 45?! I'm so late I-"

"Relax Sakura" came Sasuke's voice from behind her

"How can I relax when I'm late?"

"I did your round this morning"

"That's beside the point, it was my-...you what?"

"You were sparko this morning"

"Oh...thanks"

Sasuke stood up and pulled her into his arms

"Sakura I know you need the money, but you don't have to kill yourself for it"

"I'm fine"

"I can look after you; I can pay for your needs"

Sakura shot him a menacing glare "I don't need to be looked after"

"I meant that-"

"Save it"

With that, she backed off slightly with her hands on her hips. She shot Sasuke a questionable look as he smirked at her. As soon as he pointed at her, she knew what he was looking so smug about. Looking down and seeing her breasts on full display to him made her blush and dive for her shirt.

Just as she had pulled it on, Naruto jumped in through the window

"Couldn't you use the door?" asked Sakura straightening out her shirt

"This is too important to use the door!" he panted

"Well?" asked Sasuke and Sakura

"Demont's planning on closing the academy!"

"WHAT?!"

--

**Wow that was a long chapter, took me ages to find the damn thing on paper first lol well it's up now and I'm happy, I think I'll go to sleep now –falls asleep-**

**Hehe you know I love your reviews so keep 'em coming**


	4. A Blocked Solution

**Hi there again, I guess I should update this one, people seem to like it lol. Just a little note, I portray characters to how I think they would fit in with the story, if it means them being a little OOC then so be it, so I'll have no nagging about stuff like "since when would Sasuke say I Love You?" if you don't like it then tough.**

**Well, now that that's off my chest, on with the chapter!**

**Chapter 4: A Blocked Solution **

"What do you mean she's closing the ninja academy?!"

"Yeah, there was a bulletin up on the board just outside school"

"When?"

"This morning"

"How can she close the academy? This is a ninja country!"

"You don't need grades to be a ninja" scowled Naruto

"Dobe! You need to pass the exams from the academy to show you're able to become a shinobi of your country" growled Sasuke

"We can't let her do this; I've had enough of that witch! C'mon!!"

Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other

"To where?"

"The library!" ordered Sakura

"Why?"

"Because we're going to prove she can't close the academy"

Both boys sweat dropped as Sakura stormed out of the Uchiha Manor, then quickly got up and followed her.

--

When they reached the library, Naruto and Sasuke still continued to follow Sakura as she led them through tons of corridors. At one point, as she turned her head to look down an aisle, she failed to notice another person come round the corner.

"Sakura loo-...never mind" sighed Sasuke as he looked at the heap before him

"Sorry Sai" groaned Sakura rubbing her head

"It's okay" he smiled helping her up

Sakura's hand lingered in his hand for a moment before she realised and pulled away

"So, what're you doing here?" asked the art nin.

"Saving the academy. Demont wants to-"

"Close it?"

"Yeah...you saw it too huh?"

Sai nodded "One day after being here and it's already going to close"

"No it's not"

"What?" asked Sai, Sasuke and Naruto

"I'm not going to let her close it. That academy means the world to me"

"So, how you gonna save it?"

Sakura led them down an aisle and began flicking through the books

"What're you looking for?" asked Sasuke peering over her shoulder

"I read somewhere that a head teacher can't close an academy unless the motion is passed from the Hokage...here it is!"

All 3 boys looked closer at the book and watched as Sakura's finger followed a few lines and heard her repeat what she had just told them.

"This is all we need to save the academy" she gleamed

A noise at the beginning of the aisle jerked them all to their feet, the book falling from Sakura's arms in the process.

"Who's there?"

A figure emerged and Sakura's eyes instantly began to search for a headband. When she found none, she began to panic

"No one you need to know. Just give me the book and I won't hurt you"

On instinct Sakura grabbed the book and held it close to her chest

"Never"

"Don't make this hard for yourself girlie"

Her hand dived for a kunai, but she grasped thin air. She looked at Sasuke, who didn't appear to have his weapon pouches either, and Naruto as too far away.

'_I didn't put them on this morning, I am such a BAKA!_'

"Sakura?" Sai whispered behind her

"Mhm?"

"Here"

She felt something cold and hard being placed in her hand and she recognised it as a kunai.

Smirking, she threw the kunai at the figure, who dodged as his eyes followed the sharp knife.

Grasping her hands together, Sakura muttered something as her hands moved expertly.

When the figure looked back, his eyes widened as all 4 kids were gone.

Sasuke had to restrain Naruto from kicking the guy in the nuts as they all snuck past him, hidden by Sakura's Gen Jutsu.

--

Retreating back to Sasuke's house, Sakura grabbed her weapons pouch and leg holster and attached them to her person.

"There, back where they belong"

"So, who do you think that was back there?" asked Naruto

"No clue, I couldn't see a headband on him"

"I have my suspicions"

"Sasuke?"

"Don't you think it's slightly odd that he wanted the book exactly the same time we did? Or the fact he turned up just as Sakura read **that** sentence?"

"You don't think-"

"That he's working for Demont? Yes I do" nodded Sasuke

"I know that's a possibility, but don't you think that's a bit extreme?"

"Not if she wants to close the academy at all costs"

"This is bullshit! Demont's not even a ninja"

"She doesn't have to be. By the looks of her, she's pretty wealthy. And you'd be surprised how far money can get you in a ninja village, especially..._**assassinations**_"

"That guy was going to kill us?" choked Naruto

"If we hadn't of given the book I'm sure he would've tried to" glared Sakura

"But how did she know we were there in the first place?" asked the blonde

"Obviously, she's got someone watching us"

There was silence among the 4 for a while before Sasuke took Sakura's arm.

"Can I speak with you..._privately?_"

"Sure" she nodded

Sai and Naruto watched as Sasuke half dragged Sakura out into the kitchen.

"What is it?" she asked

"Sai"

"What about him?"

"I think he's the one spying on us"

"WHAT? Are you crazy?!"

Sasuke placed a hand over her mouth

"How could you think that?" she whispered

"Don't you think it's strange he turns up the same day and then this happens?"

"No, I don't actually. I think you just don't like him and are jumping to conclusions"

She winced as he grabbed her arm

"Wake up Sakura! That guy is bad news"

"What's gotten into you?"

With that, she slapped his hand away and walked back into the living room to Naruto and Sai. Sasuke following reluctantly behind her.

'_I will show her who you really are_' he thought as he glared at Sai

"So, what are we gonna do now?" fidgeted Naruto

"We're gonna take this book straight to the Hokage is what we're gonna do" announced Sakura opening the door

"Sakura look out!"

She watched in slow motion as Sai and his ink beast ran towards her, then Sai pushed her down covering her body with his as the exploding tag attached to a kunai exploded as it hit Sai's ink beast, ink splattering both of them.

The next thing she felt was a surge of heat from above her. Looking up, Sakura saw Sasuke using his infamous Fireball Jutsu. She then felt herself being pulled to the side and heard the door slam.

Sitting up on Sai's chest, she blew a strand of hair off her face

"I don't think they want us to get that book to the Hokage" she growled

"I think they're gone" said Sasuke looking through a little hole in his door

Naruto took was looking out the windows, but keeping his body and the majority of his head below the windowsill.

"Uh...Sakura?"

She looked down; fully aware her thighs were extremely close to being wrapped around Sai's head. Blushing, she jumped off him and stood to the side, him standing up a few seconds later.

"What?" she asked as he smirked at her

He then leaned in close to her ear and whispered "nice panties"

Sakura's face turned an even deeper shade of red as she remembered exactly **what** panties she had on.

"Sakura? Your face is all red, are you okay?" asked Naruto

Sasuke heard his comment and also turned to look at her.

Thinking of a quick excuse she blurted out "I'm pissed off! This ink has completely ruined my outfit!"

"Sorry about that" shrugged Sai

"You can change here if you want" offered Sasuke

"No it's okay, I think I can manage"

"I'll go with you, I need to change too" agreed Sai looking down at his own clothes

"Okay, come back here when you're done"

"Okay teme!" chirped Naruto

"Where are you going dobe?"

"For ramen!" he grinned

The other 3 slapped their heads and sighed

"Okay, let's go" ordered Sakura as the 3 of them sped from the house.

Only to be met with...

**Nothing?**

Sakura stumbled as she expected a few weapons to come their way, but none did.

"What's going on here?" growled Naruto

"Who cares?" she lied "I need to get home before this stuff stains"

"Yes ma'am"

"I heard that"

"hehe"

After a few minutes of running along shaded rooftops, Naruto turned towards the Ramen Bar and left the other 2.

"I don't think it's safe for us to split up" spoke Sai

"Meaning?" enquired the pinkette

"Meaning you are in more danger than any of while your with that book"

"So what do you suggest?" she raised an eyebrow at him

"We watch each other's backs while we change"

"Okay then"

--

Following Sakura to her apartment, Sai waited outside her bathroom for while she showered.

When she emerged, the scent of cherries filled the room and Sai began to feel slightly light headed.

Sakura was dressed in her trademarked red vest top with the Haruno clan symbol on the back and black shorts, also accompanied by her weapon pouches and a string bag which contained the book. Slipping on her sandals, she smiled at him.

"Ready?"

He nodded and led the way to his house

"I think it'd be better of you came into the bathroom"

Sakura turned a bright red "W-why?"

"I just think it'd be safer. There's a slide between the shower and the rest of the bathroom so you won't see _**anything**_"

She nodded as she turned her tomato red face away.

Sai smirked as he stripped behind the wall Sakura was leaning on and stepped into the shower.

'_What am I doing in her?_'

'_**I know why**_'

'_Why's that then?'_

'_**Because you like Sai**__' _her Inner teased

'_What? No I don't...I can't...'_

'_**Why?**__'_

'_Because I'm with Sasuke, I can't cheat on him'_

'_**Sakura, you waited so long for Sasuke**__'_

'_And?'_

'_**Was it really worth it?**__'_

Sakura remained silent, thinking over her answer carefully

'_At the time yes- What does this have to do with anything anyway?'_

'_**Do you really think you'll be with Sasuke forever? Once an avenger; always an avenger. He's so reckless and power obsessed, we don't know what he could turn out like. Sai on the other hand-**_'

But her Inner was cut off as a sound was heard from within the shower. Acting upon instinct, Sakura jumped from behind the slide and stood in a fighting position.

Sai looked at her surprised, then amused.

"I just dropped the soap"

Sakura stared at him in all his glory, and found her face heating up again.

Pulling the closest thing, which was her headband, over her eyes; she fell against the slide and stammered

"I'm sorry, I... I thought something happened"

She then heard the shower door open and tried to back into the wall more. She **failed **big time.

Sakura then felt little droplets of water fall onto her skin and a hot breath in her ear

"Something **did **happen" Sai whispered

"Wh...what?"

"I fell in love with you"

It was then he kissed her firmly but gently at the same time. Relaxing into the kiss, Sakura found herself moving her lips with his.

'_**Sakura?**_'

'_Hm?'_

'_I __**think this counts as cheating on Sas-'**_

'_Inner?'_

'_**Yes?**__'_

'_Shut up!'_

Hearing Sai growl sent shivers down Sakura's spine and she moaned into his mouth. But all of a sudden, she was being shaken rather roughly.

Opening her eyes, Sakura saw Sai fully dressed and looking down at her.

"What happened?" she asked rubbing her head

"You were caught in a Gen Jutsu"

Her eyes widened "What?! You're telling me all that was just an illusion?"

"All what was an illusion?"

Realising what she was talking about, clamped her hand over her mouth.

"No...Nothing"

'_God I feel like such an idiot..._'

'_**You and me both dear...you and me both**_'

Sai gave her a weird look before asking "Where's the book?"

"Right here in my bag"

Sakura went to pat her shoulder, but there was no bag there

"Where the hell is my bag?!" she screeched

"Whoever put you in that Gen Jutsu must've taken it"

"That bastard"

"C'mon, we better go find it"

Sakura groaned "Oh this day can't get any worse..."

But it did. As soon as they got out the door, they spotted the thief and were after him in a second. As they ran over the rooftops and through the streets, Sakura noticed the villagers only noticed them and not the thief. It then hit her.

"Sai stop!"

"What?"

"We're in another Gen Jutsu"

Clasping her hands together she muttered "Release!" They were bang in the middle of Konoha forest, looking round Sakura sighed.

"I really do hate this place"

"Why's that?"

Just as those words escaped Sai's mouth; the ground beneath to rumble. As they both leapt into the air a giant snake emerged from the earth and shot up towards them.

Drawing her katana from its sheath, Sakura plunged it through the snake's head, killing it in an instant.

"That's why"

"Ah...So how do we get out of here?" asked Sai

"That nin is still around here somewhere" she muttered looking around cautiously

Sai's eyes also roamed over the area. Listening for any movements. It was then a branch snapped. In a blue, Sai saw Sakura whirl round and fling her katana, which sliced through the air effortlessly.

A '**thud**' resounded around the forest and they both knew she had hit her target.

Jumping through the trees, Sai was impressed how far the katana had travelled, and with amazing accuracy and speed.

Finally reaching the corpse of the enemy nin, Sakura wrinkled her nose in disgust as she saw the headband the body was wearing.

"Pathetic, our own village"

Sai walked over and searched the nin

"The books not here"

Sakura growled "He must've hid it"

He nodded silently

Sakura walked around the trees thinking aloud "From your house to here, he would've had to of been as a reasonable distance for the Gen Jutsu to stay active. Therefore it should be somewhere we've already been..." she trailed off

"So?"

"So we just retrace our steps"

Sai nodded and they both set off

--

They searched the entire route they had taken, but still there was no luck in finding the book.

Both leaf nins, annoyed and tired, slumped down on a bench with a can of soda each.

"This is pointless. Where else could he of put it!" screeched Sakura scrunching her empty can

"I don't know" he looked up at the sky "It's nearly sunset, we need to hurry up"

"I know! I know! I just can't think where he could've hidden it..."

Sai looked at her as she trailed off again

"What?"

"God I am such a Baka! Follow me!"

He nodded and followed as ordered. It was dark when they arrived back in the forest.

"What're we doing back here? We've already checked everywhere" asked Sai

"Except for one place"

Sai held his nose as a horrible smell entered his nostrils. In front of him was the huge snake corpse Sakura had speared earlier. He heard Sakura gag as she cut the snake open and out fell something he never would've guessed. The Book. Holding the book as far away from her as she could, Sakura walked back over to Sai.

"Is it okay?"

"Yeah, it didn't get round to being digested"

"Why did he hide it there?"

"Probably thought we wouldn't of been able to figure it out. And even if we did, he didn't think we'd be able to kill the snake and would've been eaten, so it wouldn't matter if we got the book because we'd be on our way to being digested"

Sai stared at her "how did you figure all that out?"

"I pay attention" she smiled but then frowned soon after "We were supposed to go back to Sasuke's way before noon, it's not like 10pm"

"Don't worry, we would've seen him if he was out looking for us"

"I guess, well there's no point going to the Hokage now; she only be pissed off sake"

"Tomorrow then"

They both nodded then went their separate ways.

When Sai reached his home he removed his shirt and lay down on his bed, sighing deeply.

He placed his hand over his heart and listened to the soft rhythmic beating, slowly lulling him to sleep.

'_**How do you do what you do?**__'_

_I see you comb your hair and gimme that  
grin.  
It's making me spin now, spinnin' within.  
Before I melt like snow, I say Hello  
How do you do! _

'_**How do you get through every day?**__'_

_I love the way you undress now.  
Baby begin.  
Do your caress, honey, my heart's in a  
mess. _

'_**How do you make me feel the way I do?**__'_

_I love your blue-eyed voice,  
like Tiny Tim shines through  
How do you do! _

'_**How do I tell you how I feel?**_'

_How do you do, do you do, the things that you do.  
No one I know could ever keep up with you.  
How do you do!  
Did it ever make sense to you to say Bye  
Bye Bye? _

'_**How am I supposed to know if you feel the same?**_'

_How do you do, do you do, the things that you do.  
No one I know could ever keep up with you.  
How do you do!  
Did it ever make sense to you to say Bye  
Bye Bye?_

'_**How did I end up falling for you?**_'

_I see you in that chair with the perfect  
skin.  
Well how have you been, baby, livin' in  
sin?  
Hey, I gotta know, did you say Hello -  
How do you do?_

'_**How did you come to be so perfect?**_'

_Well, here we are spending time in the  
louder part of town  
and it feels like everything's surreal.  
When I get old I will wait outside your  
house  
cos your hands have got the power meant to  
heal._

'_**How can I like you when you like him?**_'

_How do you do, do you do, the things that  
you do.  
No one I know could ever keep up with you.  
How do you do!  
Did it ever make sense to you to say Bye  
Bye Bye?_

'_**How can you like me when you love him?**_'

_How do you do, do you do, the things that  
you do.  
No one I know could ever keep up with you.  
How do you do!  
Did it ever make sense to you to say Bye  
Bye Bye?_

_How do you do, do you do, the things that  
you do.  
No one I know could ever keep up with you. _

'_**How can I have you when he has you?**_'

_How do you do!  
Did it ever make sense to you to say Bye  
Bye Bye?_

'_**How did I get myself into this...?**_'

**--**

**WOW! That was incredibly LONG lol I actually merged two chapters I had written on paper into one big one because I felt they were too short individually. Well I hope you all liked, please let me know what you think, unless it's about a character's OOCness.**

**Song Playlist****:**

**You're Gonna Go Far Kid – The Offspring**

**Untouched – The Veronicas**

**Break The Ice – Britney Spears**

**Move – Thousand Foot Krutch**

**Believe It Or Not –Nickelback**

**Fight For All The Wrong Reasons –Nickelback**

**Animals – Nickelback**

**Next Contestant – Nickelback**

**Someone That You're With – Nickelback**

**Damn Regret – The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus**

**From Yesterday – 30 Seconds To Mars**

**Speechless – The Veronicas**

**Down With The Sickness – The Disturbed**

**She Is Beautiful – Andrew WK**

**Room 21 – Hinder**

**Revenge Is Sweeter (Than You Ever Were) - The Veronicas**

**Bleed American – Jimmy Eat World**

**The Young Crazed Peeling – The Distillers**

**Haha what a long playlist lol ah well it was some good beats to jig to while writing this, hope you enjoyed the chapter. See you in the next one x.x.x**


	5. Not As Planned

**Come on people, this story has nearly had like 2000 hits and only ****16**** reviews... It's really disheartening, I need my motivation. Especially right, now as I'm having sleeping problems. But I didn't sleep last night so I managed to do a chapter and a pic to go with it!! It goes with the end of this chapter.**

**Chapter 5:****Not As Planned**

That night, Sakura couldn't sleep again. Every time she managed to drift off, she would jerk herself awake a few moments later in panic.

Looking beside her, she saw the book and sighed.

Sakura stood up from her bed and pulled on a flimsy jumper. Pushing her window open slightly, she slipped out onto the roof. It was a chilly night, so she shivered as a cool breeze passed her, raising goose-bumps on her skin.

She stared up into the clouded sky, her green eyes losing its focus as the moon came into view.

"It's beautiful isn't it?"

Sakura jumped slightly and drew a kunai from within her jumper.

"It's only me" said the person as his figure came into view from the street light.

As she placed her kunai back in her jumper, she patted the seat beside her, telling him he could sit.

"Couldn't sleep huh?" asked Sai looking at her

Sakura dipped her head, making her hair fall in front of her face. Slowly, she nodded.

"Nightmare?"

Again she nodded her head, making her pink bangs dance around her face.

Sai scooted closer to her, wrapping a muscular arm around her frigid shoulders.

"Wanna talk about it?"

There was a long silent pause and Sai rook it as a 'no'. Lying back against Sakura's roof, Sai closed his eyes as he placed his hand behind his head.

"...My mom..."

Sai opened his eyes and sat back up.

"What?"

"In my nightmare...I saw my mom..."

"She can't have been that bad" smiled Sai in hope of cheering her up

When no emotion crossed over Sakura's face, his smile turned to a frown.

"It's not that, it was a memory..."

"Of what?"

Sakura looked at him, her jade eyes shimmering with tears, which in a strange way; only seemed to make her more beautiful as the moonlight shone down on her.

She then spoke, in a hurt, dead tone "The night she died"

"Sakura, what happened?"

When she tried to turn her head away, she felt Sai's rough hand on her cheek, pulling her back to look at him.

His eyes widened as the tears were running freely down her cheeks, her breathing coming out in short gasps.

"I promised myself I wouldn't cry anymore" she sobbed "But I promised mom I would protect her...I guess I'm just useless at keeping promises"

"Sakura you are not useless! You can't keep every promise you make, no matter how much you want to"

Sakura remained still, staring into Sai's eyes.

"She was murdered..."

"What?"

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself "When I was 10; I came home from the academy one day and no one was home, so I..."

She paused to wipe her tears.

"I went upstairs to see if anyone was up there, I heard a scream so I hid in my closet. Then through the gaps I saw my mum being pushed into my room and she fell on my bed..."

Sai's eyes went wide, he knew what was coming next and he didn't want to hear it, but he forced himself to.

"During the next 10 minutes, she was raped then killed right in front of me...and **I** didn't do anything...I couldn't do anything..."

"Sakura, you were 10, no one would've expected you to do anything-"

"I LET HER DIE!" she yelled as she shook violently

Sai was taken back, she truly felt responsible for her mother's death.

"After that night, the old me vanished"

Sai heard her voice change tone.

"I became a machine... I trained to be as strong as everyone else, no matter how hard it was. I wouldn't let anyone I loved die so easily in front of me ever again"

"So easily?"

"Four senbon were planted into her neck, two kunai through both her wrists and one through her heart"

"That's harsh"

Sakura nodded "And I could've been next"

"What?"

"I choked in the closet, the murderer must've heard me because he looked straight at the closet door and began walking towards me. I'll never forget his eyes; they had pure murder intent in them. But as he opened the doors, he was gone. Thrown aside by ANBU and I was taken away to the Uchiha manor"

"Uchiha?"

"They run a police unit here in Konoha; it was Sasuke's father who rescued me. He made Sasuke keep an eye on me; much to his disgust" she laughed "Oh he hated me"

"That's not the way I see it"

"That was a **long** time ago; we bonded over the years and became very close"

"That's more like it"

Sakura looked at Sai, who smiled and returned the gesture.

"You're the only one who knows how my mom died, so please don't go blabbing, okay?" she asked "I trust you"

'_She hasn't even told Sasuke?_'

Sai nodded "I promise I won't"

Sakura smiled sweetly "Thanks Sai, that means a lot"

"Its okay, think you'll be able to sleep yet?"

"I think so, thank you for keeping me company"

"You're welcome"

Pulling him into a light embrace, Sakura gave Sai a quick squeeze before letting him go.

"Night"

"Goodnight, Sakura"

Again she smiled just before slipping back into her room, feeling a lot better.

Sai sat there a bit longer, staring at Sakura's window. He watched her pull the covers over herself and close her eyes. When he was sure she was asleep, he jumped back to his house and lay down in his bed with a 'poof'.

"If only you knew how you make me feel..." he mumbled before he too drifted off

**--The Next Day--**

As Sakura awoke the following morning, she instantly felt around for the book. Under her pillow. Right where she had left it.

"Screw work today, I need a break" she sighed and pulled the covers back over her head

After a few minutes, she was sound asleep again and feeling completely content.

A few more hours passed by and Sakura awoke again, feeling more refreshed and awake. Picking herself up from her bed, she grabbed the book and headed downstairs.

"Dad?!" she called

There was no reply to her call. Panicking, she raced into the kitchen and a sigh of relief left her lips. A note lay on the table for her:

_**Sakura,  
Let you sleep in this morning, you seemed really tired.  
Phoned work for you, they were fine with you having a day off.  
Be a good girl and stay out of trouble.  
See you at dinner.  
Love Dad xx**_

Placing the book down on the table, she turned to the toaster, ready to wrestle some toast out of it.

When said toast was on a plate, Sakura sat down with a glass of orange juice and nibbled the cooked bread. Hearing a knock at the door, she swallowed her toast and called out.

"The windows open!"

A few seconds later, the window slid open and Uchiha Sasuke hopped through.

"Morning" smiled Sakura

Sasuke walked over to her and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"How are you feeling today?"

"Better than usual"

"That's good. Did you...sleep okay?"

"Surprisingly yes"

Taking a seat at the table opposite Sakura, he stared at her.

"I was worried about you yesterday, when you didn't come back"

"Oh...Sorry about that. Me and Sai ran into a bit of trouble at his house"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed "What kind of trouble?"

"While he was in the shower, I was somehow placed under a Gen Jutsu and the ninja from the library stole the book. It took us **all **afternoon to get it back" she explained

"And you didn't sense the Jutsu at all?"

"Not until Sai pulled me out of it"

"He must've been a strong Gen Jutsu user for you not to notice him"

Sakura scoffed "Well it doesn't matter anymore"

"Why's that?"

"He's dead now...I killed him"

She could feel Sasuke's eyes on her.

"Sasuke, he was trying to kill us, what else could I of done?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"And you know what disgusts me the most?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"He was from our own village"

"What?!"

"He wore the leaf insignia on his headband"

Sasuke sighed "And you just had to kill him didn't you? You couldn't let him be interrogated"

"Well, actually I just threw my katana; and it kind of just managed to hit him"

"You and your bloody perfect aim"

Sakura laughed "Well at least we can take this stupid book to the Hokage now"

Her eyes widened as Sasuke feel to the floor in front of her.

"Sasuke! Sasuke what's wrong?" she knelt beside him and shook him

She then felt a prick in her neck. Reaching behind her hair she felt something sharp and pulled it out. As she looked at it she finally said:

"Sleep sen...bon"

She then closed her eyes and her body went limp over Sasuke's.

"Shit..." she mumbled as she finally lost consciousness

A figure then appeared beside them and spoke into his headset.

"Haruno and Uchiha acquired. Returning to base now"

Then he picked the two teens up and disappeared.

**--**

Cold water dripped down onto the pinkette's forehead as she slept. One big droplet formed at the top of the ceiling, before falling and splattering on her face, causing her to stir.

As her eyes opened, she felt extremely numb and groggy. Hissing in pain as she lifted her head, she felt pain at the back of her neck.

"What's going on?" she asked to no one in particular

Sakura looked around through half lidded eyes, eventually finding Sasuke on the other side of the room to her.

"Sasuke!" her voice was barely above a whisper as she called to him

As she stood, her whole body screamed at her to rest, but she ignored the aching and carried on. After a few steps, something pulled at her leg, causing them to give way beneath her, causing her to fall to the ground with a loud 'thud'.

Looking at her leg, Sakura groaned as she saw the chain starting at her ankle and ending at the wall behind her. She tugged at it, but it didn't budge.

"They must've drugged me, so I couldn't use my chakra..."

Crawling as far as she could, which wasn't far, she called for Sasuke again. This time, he groaned and his body moved slightly.

"Sasuke please open your eyes!" she pleaded

"Uhh...Sakura?"

He rolled over so he was facing her now.

"I feel terrible...what happened?"

"I don't know, all I can remember was being hit by sleep senbon"

"Sleep senbon?"

Sakura nodded.

"Come closer" he begged

"I can't... I'm chained to the wall; this is as far as I can go. And I can't use my chakra to break it"

"I'll see how far I can go"

Slowly, he crawled towards her, but only got a few feet before he too could go no further.

"Reach for me Sasuke"

And he did. Their hands connected and they grasped each others.

"Sasuke, I'm scared"

"It's okay; we'll get out of here"

"I wouldn't count on it Uchiha" came a new voice

Both heads turned towards the owner.

"ANBU?" snarled Sasuke

"What are you doing?"

"Following orders" the ANBU simply stated

"And whose orders are those?"

"That's none of your business you little brat"

"You'll be in trouble when the Hokage hears of this"

The ANBU ninja laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"Well let's just say, the village is no longer in the Hokage's hands"

"What do you mean?"

"The Hokage is **dead**"

Those words hit Sakura like a ton of bricks.

"Nooooo!" she cried slamming her fist on the ground

"Shut up, you whiny brat!" ordered the ANBU

Sakura gritted her teeth, her eyes turning dark as she glared at the man.

"You shut up"

The ANBU looked at Sakura.

"What did you just say to me?"

Sakura looked up, lips turned downward into a scowl and her eyes ablaze with anger.

"**I said shut up.** Or do you have problems hearing **as well** as loyalty?" she snarled

"Why you- I think it's time you learnt some respect for your superiors"

"Go to hell" she spat

The ANBU walked forward and kicked Sakura in the face, sending her flying against the wall.

"Sakura!" roared Sasuke trying to stand, but the drug hadn't completely worn off on him yet, causing him to stumble and fall.

The ANBU pulled Sakura up by her hair, forcing her to look at him. Wiping some of the blood from her face, he smiled coyly at her.

"You've got such a pretty face" he cooed turning her head by her chin "wouldn't it be a shame if **this** kunai" he said as he drew one and held it just above her face "was to accidentally slip..."

He growled as Sakura refrained from showing any sign of fear on her face.

"Hurt me all you want, but I'll still kill you when this drug wears off"

"Not if I kill you first"

"Go on and try"

The ANBU dropped Sakura to the ground in a heap and began walking away.

"You've got guts id, I'll give you that. Not that many kids have that kind of spirit anymore"

"Wait!"

The ANBU turned around to face her.

"Where are we?"

"You're beneath the Academy"

"What? Why?"

"Because only a select few know of this underground prison. None of your little friends would ever think of looking for you here"

"What have you done to Sai and Naruto?"

"Who?"

"Don't play dumb with me. All four of us were_** interfering**_ so no doubt you went after them as well"

"Brains as well. Your one of a kind kunoichi you know"

"Answer the damn question!"

"Persistent too. Alright then, we were sent after your friends, but their putting up a troublesome fight. You two were **a lot** easier"

"So a girl can't even eat breakfast without being attacked these days" she muttered

The ANBU laughed as he began walking away again.

"I hope Naruto and Sai are alright"

"They'll be fine"

"I hope so"

What seemed like hours, Sasuke and Sakura continued to sit there and look at each other. Neither one of them made a sound, so all was quiet.

Eventually, noised came from somewhere and they both looked up.

"Naruto!" called Sakura as an ANBU walked in with the blonde draped over his shoulder

"What did you do to him?"

"The same thing we did to you" replied the ANBU as he placed Naruto on the floor and chained his leg to the wall

As he left, Sakura crawled over to Naruto. Grateful she could reach him and hold him. After placing his head in her lap, she began stroking his hair and wiping away any excess blood on his face.

"I bet you kicked some ANBU ass today"

Sasuke watched as she tried to smile, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it.

Moving forward, Sasuke sat beside Naruto and watched as Sakura took care of him. He looked at all of them; Sakura was still in her pyjamas, a little dirty from lying on the ground for so long; he was in his usual black ninja outfit and Naruto was in his traditional black and orange jump suit, which was ripped and bloodied from battle.

"How do you think the other 7 are holding up?" he asked

"I don't know, I'm still worried about Sai"

"I'm sure they're all hiding somewhere thinking up a plan"

"I can't believe Tsunade's dead, how could she of been killed so easily?"

"Sakura-"

"She was like my mother!" she was snarling now "That's twice now my mother has been taken from me and I couldn't do anything about it. When I get out of here, I'll make them pay"

"Sakura..."

"Just wait till my chakra returns, and then they'll be sorry"

"Well let's hope it's soon, our village needs us right now"

"I wonder..." she trailed off as she placed her hands on Naruto's chest and concentrated.

Soon, a green glow surrounded her petite hands as Naruto absorbed the healing chakra.

"Good, they didn't block my healing abilities" she sighed

"Or...the drugs wearing off"

"Let's hope it's the latter"

Soon, after what they guessed was about an hour, Naruto finally opened his eyes.

"Naruto!"

He coughed as Sakura pulled him into a tight hug.

"Good to see your alive, dobe"

"Teme? Sakura? What happened?" he groaned

"We'll explain on the way, right now we need to get topside"

"But how do we get out? You don't have your chakra back yet" questioned Sasuke helping Naruto sit up

Standing up, Sakura smirked at them.

"Says who?"

She then swung her leg forward. Naruto and Sasuke watched as the chain was ripped completely off the wall; and Sakura pulled the remainder of it off her ankle. Then she pulled the boys free.

"Now it's time to kick some butt" announced Sakura making her way to the prison doors.

"_**This fight has only just begun..."**_

_**­--**_

**Well, that's chapter 5 up for you, hope it was okay. I've decided to be mean and say I will refrain from updating this story until I get at least another 10 reviews. Groan all you want, but that's the way it has to be I'm afraid.**

**See you in 10 reviews time xxx**


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